The Business Crime, Fraud and Serious Crime specialist divisions of the Criminal Department at Farleys have continued to go from strength to strength in the last twelve months. Ranked as a leading firm for many years in these areas of work in both the ‘Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession’ and the ‘Legal 500’ directory, the department has had an incredibly successful year with 11 substantial case wins including:
Operation Somerville – May 2013
Our client was one of 10 defendants including Dale Cregan. Our client was charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder. Following a trial he was acquitted by the jury on all counts. The case was of the utmost seriousness with intense media interest.
Operation Enigma – September 2013
Our client was one of sixteen defendants charged with conspiracy to launder money in excess of £250m over approximately 2 years with substantial international elements and suggestions of funding terrorism. We successfully defended the case resulting in the prosecution offering no evidence and formal not guilty verdicts were entered against our client.
R v LW and others – September 2013
Our client faced an allegation of affray involving life threatening injuries following a brawl in a bar involving Premier League footballers. Our client protested his innocence throughout the case. The trial commenced in September and collapsed three days later as a result of our challenge to the prosecution evidence. Not guilty verdicts were returned against our client and his co-defendant.
Operation Brimstone – September 2013
We acted for a solicitor practicing for over 35 years as a conveyancer. Fourteen others were also arrested and prosecuted. The allegations related to systematic mortgage fraud involving approximately 32 properties of substantial value and mortgages valued in excess of £15m. As a result of a very proactive defence, proceedings against our client were dropped. We are still defending SDT proceedings.
Operation Cobalt – November 2013
This was a case brought by the Environment Agency alleging wholesale dumping of hazardous waste to the value of £1.5 million in the North East of England. It was described by the EA as “the biggest case of its kind” and we successfully defended our client over a period of approximately 2 years until the proceedings against him were dropped in November 2013.
Operation Ply – December 2013
This was a lengthy investigation and prosecution by West Midlands Police Economic Crime Unit and SOCA into a multi-million pound mortgage fraud involving allegedly corrupt solicitors plus other defendants. Our client, a senior conveyancing solicitor, was acquitted by the jury at Birmingham Crown Court, following a long trial.
R v KM – January 2014
Our client was charged with three counts of rape which were vehemently denied. Extensive defence preparation was carried out and a medical expert instructed. Our client was acquitted mid-trial following the collapse of the prosecution case on the basis the complainant had lied and the police investigation had been flawed.
Operation Valgus – January 2014
Our client a former mortgage broker was one of 14 defendants including solicitors, estate agents, surveyors and other mortgage brokers involved in an alleged 5 year conspiracy to defraud lenders. Prior to the trial our client pleaded guilty to very minor technical offence and received a non-custodial sentence; the main count (for which others received substantial prison sentences) was not pursued resulting in a hard-fought and fantastic result for our client.
R v AK and others – February 2014
Our client was one of three charged with an allegation of affray which took place on a train and railway station platform resulting in the death of a male who went under a moving train. A fourth male pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Following a week long trial our client was acquitted by the jury. He was the only one charged to be found ‘not guilty’.
Operation Truckle – March 2014
This case concerned a large scale conspiracy to evade excise duty payable on cigarettes and tobacco. The fraud was estimated to be in excess of £2.7 million. Following a successful submission of no case to answer our client was formally acquitted and discharged from court.
R v YA – March 2014
Our client was a school teacher charged with five counts of sexual touching in respect of school pupils. Extensive defence preparation was carried out and our client was acquitted by the jury on all counts.
These are cases from across the country and demonstrate the breadth of talent that we have at Farleys.
Paul Schofield, Head of the Department, said
“All these cases were of the utmost importance to our clients; they were literally life changing. They trusted us to deliver the correct results for them, and we have done just that. This does not happen by accident, but by 100% commitment, professionalism and expertise. I am very proud of all of my team and would like to thank and congratulate them for this wonderful achievement. We look forward to continuing this outstanding level of service which, I believe, is second to none in this country”.